Groups! Free Takes Contact Management A Step Further

Groups! Free (Free) by Qbix LLC enhances contact management by incorporating categories and time saving features for e-mail or text groups.

It was previously a pay app, but has been relaunched for free.

Upon launching the app, Groups! Free imports your contacts and places them into an “uncategorized” folder.

To begin creating groups, tap the “edit” button and “add new group" from the home screen.

Then choose an image and a group name. You can pick from 98 icons, add an existing image, or take a photo. Another option is to use the available predefined groups such as work and services.

Once you’ve established your group, scroll through your contacts and tap to add each. A check mark indicates selection.

The app also provides smart groups. With smart groups, your contacts are divided into four categories to display who has e-mail, a phone, a photo, or if it's a business.

Groups! Free delivers timesaving functionality. Quickly e-mail or text select members, or an entire group by tapping “select all,” then “send mail” or “send SMS.” The “action” button gives you the ability to add a reminder to your contact, or to copy/move individuals to another folder.

To place a call or use FaceTime, tap on your contacts' phone number to launch the iPhone call screen.

Setting a reminder for an important call is extremely useful as is the ability to e-mail or text an entire group.

The only drawback I saw was for users who sync with Microsoft Exchange. Groups! Free works with Exchange, but groups you create will only be accessible through the app.

In future releases, the developer plans to add group chat and share features, which will make this excellent app even better.

I recommend giving this free app a shot. The impressive grouping options, coupled with the ability to e-mail or text an entire group with just a few clicks is a feature I welcome on my iPhone.